Petoskey takes experienced squad to regional

Harbor the favorite in Division IV

REMUS - Experience is on Petoskey's side as the Northmen head into the Division II girls' cross country regional at Chippewa Hills High School on Friday.

And the Northmen will very likely need to draw on that experience as they face a strong field led by Gaylord and Fremont.

"If our athletes can perform up to their abilities, we will be in good shape," Petoskey coach Don Dickmann said.

Gaylord is ranked No. 1 in the state coaches poll, while Fremont is ranked No. 10. Petoskey is an honorable mention.

Five of the seven Petoskey runners participated in the regional last year, when the Northmen finished third and qualified for the state meet.

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Molly Touran, who earned a medal last year by placing ninth in the regional, leads the group. Tia Penfold, Margaret Liederbach, Kat Cartwright and Sarah VanTreese are all regional veterans who will suit up for Petoskey on Saturday. Only three runners, Alex Taylor, Catie Gammon and alternate Lesley Winegard, did not run in the regional a year ago.

While Gaylord is the clear-cut favorite, the Northmen should - if everything goes right - be in the hunt to earn a return trip to the state meet.

"They key is to have a solid team race with everyone contributing," Dickmann said. "We have some minor injuries, but they all seem to be improving so we should be at close to full strength on Friday.

"We are excited to arrive at this point in the season. We have been working hard for a long time to achieve the goal of qualifying two teams boys and girls again this year. It is time for us to reap the rewards of our work and dedication and get the job done."

Division III

The girls' regional at Benzie Central is no joke. Pine River is ranked No. 2 in the state, Benzie Central No. 6, while Elk Rapids is an honorable mention team in Division III.

"With our youth and talent, to finish fifth or sixth would be a good showing for us," Charlevoix coach Mary Plude said. "This is one of the toughest regionals in the state."

Charlevoix senior Alina Dhaseleer has a good chance to crack the top 15 and qualify for the state meet individually. That would be no mean feat.

"The top 10 runners are all-state caliber," Plude said.

Boyne City is the other area team in the regional.

Division IV

"Harbor Springs is the dominant team," Ellsworth coach Kirk Ikens said. "They have a great chance to win the Division IV state title."

"Sometimes you don't want to go in as the favorite, but our girls are up to it," Harbor Springs coach Emily Kloss said.

The Rams are ranked No. 2 in the state, behind only defending state champion Grand Rapids Northpointe Christian. Harbor, which won the Lake Michigan Conference title, has four runners from last year's team that finished third in the state - Alivia Murphy, Jessica Hall, Morgan Schanski and Lauren Kopka.

Murphy and Hall were joined by teammate Rachael Brushaber on the all-conference team. Schanski, Kendal McCarthy, Nicole Love and Kopka all finished in the top 20 at the league meet.

Other area teams at the regional at the East Jordan regional are Boyne Falls, East Jordan, Ellsworth, Inland Lakes, Mackinaw City and Wolverine. Central Lake's Kari Johnson is the individual favorite.

"If everybody is healthy, we should do well," Harbor's Kloss said. "We're still trying to close the one-to-five gap. We accomplished one of our goals, winning the conference, and now we'll see if we can get the next one."